Russia, Iran and Turkey signed the safe zone agreement on Thursday, saying the point is to cease fighting and establish an "uninterrupted flow" of emergency and humanitarian aid to the areas outlined, according to the WSJ.

It also called on the US and other Arab allied countries, to take "firm stances" to prevent the implementation of the deal.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main Syrian opposition umbrella group, criticised the plan as vague and illegitimate.

Syria's government has said that although it will abide by the agreement, it would continue fighting "terrorism" wherever it exists, parlance for most armed rebel groups fighting government troops.

The Russian defence ministry had said the agreement would come into force as of midnight on Friday. The "de-escalation zone" agreement does not include the Islamic State. Clashes erupted in the area after ISIS targeted a refugee camp in a coordinated suicide assault. "Despite these violations, we can still say that hostilities have dropped", said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

A rebel commander said the general level of violence was reduced, but added: "Regime attempts (to advance) in the Hama countryside continue".

Russian Federation and Iran have backed Assad during the conflict.

Iran and Russian Federation have been among the strongest backers of Assad while Turkey is a main supporter of opposition groups that have been trying to remove him from power.

There was no immediate comment from the USA military or from the Trump administration, which sent a representative, Stuart E. Jones, the acting assistant secretary of state, to the talks.

There are approximately 180,000 civilians in this zone and its network of rebel groups includes al-Qaeda-linked fighters.

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"The bombardment has not stopped, it is no different from before", he toldReuters.

Then there is the question of who will protect the safe zones. The text of the memorandum was published by the Russian foreign ministry on Saturday.

The safe zones will remain in place for six months, the Kremlin has said. Weaponry and air strikes were not to be used in those zones by combatants, the text said.

The Astana talks were meant to shore up an oft-violated ceasefire which was originally agreed in December.

On Thursday, as the agreement was being signed in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, some members of the Syrian opposition delegation shouted in protest and walked out of the conference room.

The "de-escalation zones" will be closed to military aircraft from the US -led coalition, the Russian official who signed the agreement, Alexander Lavrentye, said Friday.

Russia, Turkey and Iran will still be permitted to fight terrorist groups within the safe zones, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by dpa.

United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura, who was in Astana as an observer, described the agreement as "an important promising positive step in the right direction" toward a halt in the fighting. The U.S.is not party to the agreement and the Syrian rivals have not signed on to the deal. They're in northern Syria in territory covering parts of the provinces of Idlib, Latakia, Aleppo and Hama, as well as the north of Homs province, the east Ghouta suburb of the capital Damascus and in southern Syria on the border with Jordan.

According to both Syrian opposition activists and government media outlets on Saturday, there were no immediate reports of casualties after a memorandum signed by Turkey, Iran and Russian Federation, the three countries behind peace efforts in Syria, took effect at the stroke of midnight local time on Saturday (2100 GMT on Friday).

But do I want to know about business ties? "At this point, I have not asked and I'm not fully aware of this", Spicer said. Clapper Jr. testified about former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's role with Russian Federation .

He said he and his legal team would soon be naming names of those they believe are behind a plot to get him fired. This will be a "big, big story", he said, but the "left-wing media" will probably "downplay" his vindication.

They also sponsor Dennis Kimetto, who has run the official world record of 2:02:57, and Wilson Kipsang, whose PR is 2:03:13. It's hard to believe, just thirty minutes before, the 32-year-old ran the world's fastest marathon of all time.

Both firms, run by Jasper Infotech and ANI Technologies respectively, are among SoftBank's largest investments in India. With Snapdeal's dismal showing in the last few quarters, SoftBank's investment of almost $900 million is running thin.

Mother's Day is about pampering your mom so if you can't afford a real spa trip for her make her one at home. Motherhood is no doubt a selfless and precious relationship which results in an everlasting bond of love.

Of course, when it's suggested that "Sanders" run the press briefings instead of Spicer from now on, "Spicer" can't take it. The faux President also opened the show in an interview with NBC anchor Lester Holt, who was played by Michael Che.

But 75-85 percent of cases develop into chronic hepatitis C, which is still infectious and can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. He added that it's also imperative to follow infants exposed to hepatitis C in the womb in case they develop the virus.

Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more . Well, the spokesman was hidden "among" - not IN - "the bushes" out of sight of nearby TV reporters.

Lowe told CBS News , shark population has increased because the USA has been protecting them and providing them with food. While it's not uncommon to spot sharks along the Southern California coast, they seem to be appearing in greater numbers.

The discovery was made in the village of Tuna al-Gabal, a vast archaeological site on the edge of the western desert. The burial site where the mummies were found is believed to date back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt.

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